Resistance

The headlights of a typical car are powered by a 12 V battery. What is

the resistance of the headlights if they draw 3.0 A of current when
they are turned on?
Identify
List the given and
unknown values.

Plan
Write the equation for
resistance.
Solve
Insert the known values into
the equation, and solve.

Given:
current, I = 3.0 A
voltage, V = 12 V
Unknown:
resistance, R = ?
voltage
resistance = _
current
V
R=_
I
V =_
12 V
R=_
I
3.0 A
R = 4.0

1. Find the resistance of a portable lantern that uses a 24 V power

supply and draws a current of 0.80 A.
2. The current in a resistor is 0.50 A when connected across a voltage of 120 V. What is the resistance of the resistor?
3. The current in a video game is 0.50 A. If the resistance of the
games circuitry is 12 , what is the voltage of the battery?
4. A 1.5 V battery is connected to a small light bulb that has a resistance of 3.5 . What is the current in the bulb?

Practice Hint
V When a problem requires you to calculate
the resistance of an object, you can use the
resistance equation R = V/I.
V Problem 3: The resistance equation can be
rearranged to isolate voltage on the left in
the following way:
V
R=_
I
Multiply both sides by I.
VI
IR = _
I
V = IR
V Problem 4: You will need to rearrange the
equation to isolate current on the left.

For more practice, visit go.hrw.com and enter keyword HK8MP.

Conductors have low resistance.

Whether or not charges will move in a material depends
partly on how tightly electrons are held in the atoms of the
material. A good conductor is any material in which electrons
can flow easily under the influence of an electric field. Metals,
such as the copper found in wires, are some of the best conductors because electrons can move freely throughout them.
Certain metals, conducting alloys, or carbon can be used in
resistors. When you flip the switch on a flashlight, the light
seems to come on immediately. But the electrons do not travel
that rapidly. The electric field, however, is directed through
the conductor at almost the speed of light when a voltage
source is connected to the conductor.
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